Double Agent
by Sam4265
Summary: When Batman faces a criminal different from usual thief's, he asks Nightwing and the Team to bring her in. They manage to, but with all the secrets floating around bringing her in isn't the smartest idea. As she manipulates the Team she manages to find out some very interesting secrets.
1. Chapter 1

Disclaimer: I do not own any part of the Young Justice franchise, I only own my character Crystal

Chapter 1: Names

The streets of Gotham are dark, and dirty, and unsafe. Now that Batman's sidekick was gone, he was one short, and he wasn't quite used to it yet. The thief knew that. She stood across from the Wayne Enterprises building ready to rob the rich billionaire; she knew that the Batman would see her. She knew it. Nothing happened in this town without him seeing it. She smiled at the thought of facing the Dark Knight.

She entered the building quickly. As she passed the security checkpoint she showed the security guard her badge. Her face and the name of a woman who indeed worked in the building were on the card, so as the guard scanned it into the system she was not discovered. The thief continued on through the building passing three more checkpoints, each one waving her through without a second thought. Adrenaline coursed through her veins, she was sure that she was going to be found out and that's what excited her. It wasn't the notion of finishing the crime; it was the thought of committing the crime even after having been caught. As she headed to the elevator she entered the only one with no one else in it, and shut the door before anyone could get in. She was being obvious, as obvious as possible. When she entered the elevator there were only buttons for the 150 floors on the building. But that isn't where she wanted to do. She pressed the buttons 3, 6, and 9 simultaneously. A retinal scanner appeared. She lowered the unneeded glasses and looked straight into the scanner. The contacts in her eyes would allow her to get passed this scanner. But this was Wayne Enterprises, there was bound to be more security where she wanted to go.

After the scan was complete a new panel of buttons appeared. They showed sub levels. There were three floors below the original Wayne building, and they were for the weapons department, the ET lab, and the third and final floor housed all of Wayne Enterprises special files. These included files on the Justice League, as well as all the super powered individuals currently known of. There were also files on criminals, and on competing organizations, such as Luthor Corp, and Queen Industries.

As the thief reached sub level three she pinned herself against the wall of the elevator, first taking out the cameras on the left, then she moved away from the walls and shot out the cameras on the right with silent darts that would keep the footage on a continuous loop. She walked into the file room. First she went on one of the computers and accessed the file on Slade Wilson, Deathstroke. She deleted the file, as she had with multiple companies over the past few days. She then plugged in a flash drive and downloaded all the information Wayne Enterprises had on the Young Justice League, as she had also been doing. As this was the information her employer really needed. She also had to get rid of the paper files. She walked over to the file cabinets and searched for W. She grabbed Slade Wilson's file and put it in her bag. She then searched for the file on the Batman. This was a personal choice. She wanted the file, not her employer. So she grabbed it and put it in her bag as well. As soon as she turned around she saw him. The Batman. Just as she'd expected. She knew for a fact she had not pulled a silent alarm, but being alone in the elevator was enough to make the Bat curious.

"I don't think those belong to you." He said with a deep voice.

"Must be why I'm taking them." She answered. She looked him over, identifying weak points. The groin was obviously protected, so it was pointless to try and take him out from here. The suit was bullet proof obviously, so a gun would do no good. There was no weak point in his armor except for the section of his face that wasn't concealed. A stupid thief may have tried to shoot him, but she wasn't stupid. There was only one way she was getting out of the room alive and un captured, and it wasn't by fighting.

"You know, it's truly an honor to meet you Batman. I've always idolized your work, how you work so cleanly and professionally. It's truly fascinating."

"Thanks, but that's not what you came here to do. You look too smart to have been as obvious as you were with the elevator."

"I was hoping you'd catch on. I needed to meet you, so I needed to make it obvious. And believe me, I am definitely not your average thief. I am much more intelligent than that."

"Then I'm guessing the blonde hair and blue eyes are a wig and contacts."

"Nice work, but that was also obvious as no intelligent thief would walk in without a disguise. You should also know that since I'm so smart I know there's not a chance of me beating you in a fight, or with my intelligence."

"Well, there's a first. Normally the villains think they can beat me somehow."

"Oh, I know I can't. I know there are very few who can, and I'm not among them. That's why I had to think about my exit very much to think of something that could allow me to get away without you catching me, and I figured it out."

"What is your brilliant idea that will allow you to escape?"

"My first thought was to put myself at risk, the Batman can't risk anyone dying unnecessarily, you've seen too many deaths to allow that. But then how would I secure my bag without you taking it? So you see that couldn't work. I had to think of something else. And since this room is below the surface I can't just blow up a wall and jump out with a parachute or something else equally as stupid. No I needed something brilliant. So it was simple really. Make an obvious entrance, and an equally obvious exit." The Batman looked at the thief. She was different than the rest. Much smarter. She actually knew there was no way to beat him, so she'd found a way around that. He was actually wondering what it was.

"That's why I set the security cameras on a timer. I know you make small talk with criminals, especially interesting ones. So I set the cameras on a timer, now all they can see is me, pointing a gun." She took out a gun and pointed it at Batman. His hope at finding a worthy criminal was gone. She would fire the gun, and it would do nothing, he would capture her and be done with this run of the mill thief.

"Don't worry; I'm not going to shoot it. Actually it's empty. But there's no need for the gun you see." She smiled and pulled the trigger a few times, showing that the gun was blank. Batman was intrigued, which was why he wasn't going after her.

"See since there's no sound on the camera, all the men sitting in front of the silly little security screens are seeing me shoot somebody, but they don't know any details, so now they're all here to come get me." And soon enough the men broke into the floor. The thief looked scared, though the Batman knew she wasn't.

"Mr. Batman sir, we're sorry sir, we didn't know you were here sir." A tall bumbling man fresh out of the academy stuttered. He was tall and lanky, his face was young, but his hair was short, almost shaved. He couldn't meet the Batman's eyes out of sheer fear.

"Cuff her, and I want to watch."

"Y-yes sir." The thief struggled against the cuffs, but she made it look as though she'd been defeated. But Batman knew better, he just didn't know what her game was. He wasn't sure yet. The cops took her bag and to Batman's surprise she let them. They then brought her up the elevator, and out the building. They were almost to the squad car when she concluded her theft. As the bumbling cop opened the car door, her entire body transformed into pure crystal. She broke the cuffs easily.

"Sorry hun, but I need that." She snatched the bag from the cop, then knocked him out with one punch. The Batman was behind her in seconds but she knew he was, which is why she ran. She just ran like an idiot. Batman sent a batarang after her knowing that that was what usually took down runners, but it merely bounced off her crystalline form. It exploded behind her but still on a scratch. That's when the Batman gave chase. He ran after her, when she hopped on a motorcycle he got in his batmobile and drove after her. He shot her back tire sending her flying off the motorcycle, which was exactly what she wanted. She shot a grappling gun at the nearest building and crashed through the 10th floor window. She knew he would be close behind as he had a grapple as well. She transformed back into a human and ran into the girl's bathroom. Of course Batman didn't fallow the 'no boys allowed' rule. So she removed one of the toilets to reveal a tunnel. She climbed down the ladder, and put the toilet back in place. She didn't even run down the tunnel, she just opened the near invisible door on the wall and into a subway station. Still dressed as the worker from Wayne Enterprises she walked onto the nearest subway. While on the bus she stripped the blonde wig and the contacts, revealing brown hair, and brown eyes. She then removed the Wayne Enterprises badge. After two stops she got off. She was in downtown Gotham. The thief strode along down the street, still not fully confident she'd lost the Batman, but that was the extent of her plan, so she had to deal with the discomfort. She entered a small family owned restaurant called _Passport to Germany. _It was a corny named family restaurant. But the family happened to be in deep debt to the man she was working for. So as she entered she walked through the door to the kitchen and up the stairs to a locked door with a peephole in the center. Of course the peephole was really a retinal scanner. She looked into it, and the door unlocked. She pushed it open to reveal the man she was working for.

"Hello Crystal." The gold and black masked villain known as Slade sat in a chair in the center room, loading a handgun with new ammo.

"Hello Father."


	2. Chapter 2

Chapter 2: Bring Her In 

"Did you get the files I asked for?" Slade asked putting his gun in its holster. Crystal pulled out the flash drive and the paper file on Slade.

"Done." She handed them over, leaving Batman's file in her bag.

"What else did you take?" Slade asked. Crystal knew she was busted. She could never get anything past him. She handed over Batman's file.

"Why this?" He asked.

"Personal choice." Slade stood up. He towered over Crystal by a good food and a half, but she didn't back down.

"That was reckless and stupid and unnecessary. Never do that again, got it?" Crystal noticed his hand on his gun, and nodded. She should have known better than to take something that wasn't part of the job.

"Good. We can't have you making sloppy mistakes right before you come out of the shadows for hire."

"Yes father." Crystal stood in the center of the room, waiting for instruction.

"Now, I want you to read all the files we've collected on the Justice Leagues team of juniors, we're going to create a plan. A plan that will allow us access to the Justice League's inner most secrets."

(…)(…)

(…)(…)

Batman got in his car as soon as the thief had escaped. He didn't need to go after her, he'd put a tracking device on her. He tracked her location to a small restaurant in downtown Gotham called _Passport to Germany. _It had been hinted at that the family owned money to some big crime boss, but had never been proven. He put the car in gear and drove to downtown Gotham.

He pulled up in the alley across from the restaurant. There were regular looking people going in and out, no one seemed suspicious. He snuck across the street and into the alley next to the building. He shot his grapple gun and climbed to the top of the building. At the top of the building there was an air conditioning system working full blast, and a door. He picked the lock of the door and carefully crept down the stairs. Soon enough he heard voices. There was a hallway full of rooms. Each one with a different number on it. They had no order, and they all had the letter K behind the number. 5K, 100K. Batman studied the numbers running them through as many basic coding systems as he could. They had to have some rhyme or reason. Eventually he figured it out. Prices, they were all prices. 5 thousand, 100 thousand. Money owed, but to who?

Only one door didn't have a price on it. At the very end of the hallway there was a single wood door without any kind of markings on it. The door could only belong to one person, the collector. Batman kicked down the door, only to find the room completely empty. There was nothing inside of any personal value, just furniture. A couch, a TV, and a table. Something caught his eye. Something shimmered in the moonlight coming in from the window. It was a round metal badge with the Slade S on it. Batman picked it up and cursed under his breath. So this is who the girl was working for?

"Slade…" Batman whispered. He searched the first of the two bedrooms and the bathroom and found nothing. When he walked into the second bedroom, the smaller of the two, he found something. Lying on top of the bed was a file. On the label, written in small elegant letters were two words: THE BATMAN. She'd left him the file. Why? She must have had no use for it any longer.

Batman picked up the file and opened it. He flipped through the file. Only one thing was missing. One page; the page connecting Batman to the Team.

Bruce sighed. He was going to have to call Dick.

(…)(…)

(…)(…)

After Crystal was told to read the files she made her way to the smaller of the two bed rooms in the apartment and opened the door. It was a small room, and she hadn't been allowed to personalize it in the case that they needed to leave. Crystal sat on the freshly made bed. The wife of the family that owed money to Slade usually fixed her bed. She was a short plump woman with a smiling face, and tired eyes. She always left chocolate on the pillows, but spoke only German. No one had ever had a conversation with her but Slade. Crystal knew German, but preferred not to talk to the family that was housing her.

Every time the woman finished her bed, Crystal would find something in the pillow case. Usually a piece of chocolate, or the money the family owed Slade, but this time was something different. It was a picture from a surveillance camera. Taken very recently. It was Crystal walking into the restaurant after having robbed Wayne Enterprises. There was something on her back. Upon closer inspection she noticed that it was a tracker. She felt around her back before she found it. It was a tiny circular bat. Batman.

"I knew it was too easy." She muttered. Getting away from Batman should have been harder. She should have suspected something like this.

"Slade!" She shouted. She discarded the picture, and ran to the other bedroom. She knocked on the door a few times before Slade opened the door.

She handed him the tracking device. Slade glared at her. He didn't like being found out.

"You idiot! You didn't see this before you lead the Bat right to our location!" He snapped.

"I was a little busy trying not to get caught!" She snapped back sarcastically. Slade punched her, knocking her head to the side, and making her nose start to bleed. Crystal stumbled back.

"Don't get any blood on the carpet, we don't want him to know who you are, and pack. We're leaving." Crystal nodded. She held her now bleeding nose, and put a paper towel on it. She wiped off the blood and went back into her room. She shoved the paper towel in her bag, along with the files and the picture of her. She was about to walk out of the room, but stopped. She took Batman's file and quickly searched through it. She skimmed each page, and noticed something interesting. The page she'd discovered connected the Batman to the juniors in several ways. She ripped out the page and stuffed it into her bag.

When Crystal was finally finished packing Slade was waiting for her by the door.

"The mother told me about the picture. Without it I wouldn't have found the tracker. We should cut their debt by a small amount." Crystal suggested, glaring at Slade.

Slade just walked out, ignoring the advice. He only listened to her occasionally. When he hadn't thought of a better plan, or when he agreed with her.

They made their way down stairs, but they weren't just about to walk out the front door for the security cameras to see.

"I have an escape route in the basement. Go, I'll be right there." Slade ordered. His tone suggested no arguments. Crystal walked away in the direction of an out of the way wood door with a plaque that read basement.

Slade went into the kitchen and talked to the mother in German. They had a short and simple conversation. He was probably telling her why they were leaving. Crystal only caught the end of the conversation.

"Ihre Hilfe war sehr zu schätzen. Ihre Schulden wurde gesenkt." She translated it instantaneously. 'Your help was greatly appreciated. Your debt has been lowered.' Crystal smiled victoriously before heading into the basement. Slade fallowed close behind.

"Open the door. It's under the rug." He said. Crystal lifted the rug and discovered a metal rung. She pulled open the trap door which lead into a dark pit it seemed. No stairs. She jumped down into the pit where she found herself in the sewer system. She hadn't used this tunnel yet but Slade had, so when he jumped down after her, he started walking forward immediately. Crystal fallowed wordlessly.

(…)(…)

(…)(…)

Batman pulled into the Batcave angrily. He didn't like having to ask Dick to take down a thief, especially one as common as this crystal girl. It made him seem weak.

"Hello sir, have a good time with work?" Alfred Pennyworth asked as Batman made his way swiftly to his computer.

"I have to call Dick." Alfred smiled. He always liked Dick Grayson.

"Will Master Grayson be joining us?"

"Yes." He typed a few commands into his computer, and called Nightwing.

"What is it Batman?"

"Nightwing, I need you to come to the Batcave now. I encountered a thief earlier you should know about."

"A thief? Isn't that a little low key for the Team?"

"She's working for Slade. I'll fill you in when you get here."

"On my way." Batman hung up, and waited. Alfred brought down a sandwich which Batman stared at for a few seconds before Alfred realized his dilemma.

"Even the Dark Knight needs to eat every once in a while." Batman gave Alfred a half smile, flipped off his hood and started eating.

A motorcycle revved up in the center of the Batcave, announcing Nightwing's arrival.

"So, Slade found a new pet?" Nightwing asked as soon as he arrived. Batman pulled up the photos on his computer from the file room. Two of them. One showed the girl taking Slade's file from the computer; the other showed her facing the Batman. He then pulled up the photos he'd gotten from the security cameras across the street of _Passport to Germany, _of her entering the restaurant.

"She was disguised as a Wayne Enterprises employee. She managed to get to the file room, and steel three paper files, and completely wipe one out of our system."

"What'd she take?"

"She took the paper copies of files on Slade, me, and your Team." Dick glanced down at Batman.

"She stole the file on the Team?" His nerves shook before solidifying once again. Why would she steel the file unless she and Slade were planning on attacking the Team? He made a mental note to tell them when he got back.

"Yes. I believe your Team is his next target."

"How do you know it's not you Bruce?"

"Because she told me taking Batman's file was a personal choice. And she left it at this restaurant." Dick looked at the photo. She seemed rather unremarkable. Just an average girl walking into a restaurant to grab something to eat. Nothing really struck him as Slade material.

"The restaurant belongs to the Norik family. There were rumors that they owed money to some crime lord, but it was never proven. I placed a tracer on her after a fight, and it lead me to the restaurant. I found her and Slade's room. It was stripped bare. They knew I was coming. Slade was feeling generous apparently and left a badge to tell me it was him. Like I hadn't already guessed. She left the file on Batman." Dick studied the picture.

"Anything else I should know?"

"She can turn her whole body into pure crystal." Batman added as an afterthought. Dick stared at him.

"What?"

"She can turn into crystal."

"And you didn't think to mention this up front?" Dick asked sarcastically, but the Batman gave him one of his famous death glares, and Dick shut up. Even though Dick was used to the glares, and they were so usual they had almost no effect anymore they were still a warning, and you listened to the Batman's warnings.

"Fine. So, what do you want us to do?"

"Find her, and arrest her. Then I want you personally to interrogate her. Use the martian as a last resort. Understand?"

"Sure. One question though, how do we find her? I assume you've already concocted some brilliant plan?" Nightwing asked. Batman smiled.

"Of course. Slade has been making her go through every major and minor corporation there is deleting his file from every data base. He's deleting himself from the world."

"So?"

"So there's only one corporation that she hasn't broken into yet. Luthor Corp. And there's a Luthor Corp building in Gotham where you can access Slade's file. That's most likely where she's striking next." Batman pulled up the schematics for the building on one of his giant computer screens.

"I'll take Alpha squad and take her down." Nightwing said while examining the schematics.

"Good. Go." Nightwing walked back to his bike. As he got on and drove out of the Batcave, his mind was on the girl and what Slade could have possibly done to get her to work for him.


	3. Chapter 3

Chapter 3: DNA

As Crystal fallowed Slade down the tunnel she was painfully aware of the fact that she was still in heels.

"Are we there yet?" She asked exasperated. Slade stopped and turned around. She'd already asked multiple times and he was starting to get annoyed.

"Ask me that one more time, and I'm leaving you here." He snapped.

"I should have asked for a boy." He muttered just loud enough for her to hear. Crystal rolled her eyes, but continued to fallow him without a word.

They continued along the sewer tunnel for half an hour longer, dodging rats and discarded fast food packages, before finally Slade stopped.

"When we get up there, say nothing. Understand?" His voice made it clear arguing was not an option. Crystal merely nodded.

Slade climbed up a ladder and punched a manhole cover open. He continued up the ladder and Crystal fallowed. They surfaced in front of a Luthor Corp building.

"Don't tell me we're working for Luthor?" Crystal complained. Slade glared at her.

"I've signed a mutual partnership with the Light; Luthor is one of their seven members. He was the one who asked me to get the junior JL's files that I had you steel. We are working for him. I was planning on coming later, after having you review the files, but Batman's appearance forced me to execute my plans earlier. Now, like I said, not a word. Understand?" Crystal nodded.

"Good, now Slade doesn't know you and I are related, and neither does anyone else. It is crucial that while we are here you don't say a word about this. Understand?"

"Yes."

They headed inside, passing multiple guards who let them by without a word. But each one had the same look. That look that clearly stated, try anything and you die. Crystal almost smiled; she'd have liked to see them try.

Slade stopped suddenly in front of a large wood door. He opened the door and walked in. Lex was sitting at his desk per usual, his robotic assistant by his side.

"Slade, how nice to see you."

"Luthor." Lex shot a glance at Crystal. His instant interest in her unsettled her.

"And I see you've brought your master thief as well. Crystal was it?" Crystal gave a curt nod. "Well, I'd expected Slade's accomplice to be older, but seeing your progress I am impressed none the less. Now, Slade, where are my files?" Slade handed over the file on the Team. Lex leafed through it for a moment before handing it to his assistant.

"Mercy, I would like you to review the file, give me any information that could help take down this Team, as well as anything that could help me put together my own." Crystal was taken aback. She hadn't expected Luthor to want his own team of super powered kids. She did think it was rather genius idea however. Fight fire with fire.

"Now, while you were busy steeling files from numerous companies, I was creating a plan that could give us access to the Team."

"Really?" Slade asked skeptically. He had little doubt in Luthor as a criminal, but Lex had tried to take down this Team of children before, and had made little to no progress in the matter. Aside from the recent events of turning Aqua Lad, killing Sportsmaster's daughter, and destroying the cave and the hall they'd made no progress on the matter. And since this was the only progress they'd made in five years, people like Slade were starting to have doubts.

"Yes, it was not my original idea, but it furthers the link between you and I, and it gives us access to the Team. Your accomplice has been steeling your file from every corporation that has it, all except Luthor Corp, since I have already wiped you from our database. However, since the Batman was present at her last theft he has undoubtedly figured out your plan by now, and will be expecting her to rob Luthor Corp. If we were to stage a robbery, and she was to be captured, then the League would suspect the involvement between us less, and she would have access to the Team." Neither Slade nor Crystal had suspected this.

"Her involvement was supposed to end after she stole the files Luthor." Slade answered. There was no emotion in his voice, but Crystal knew why he'd said that. He was trying to keep her out of the situation. He didn't want her involved with the Light. He'd told her countless times before. Of course more for professional reasons than any. He didn't want her to be damaged in a dangerous Light mission, and then not be able to go for hire in a month like scheduled. Though she suspected he may have some tiny parental side that was telling him not to let her do it, she doubted it. Lex however, doubted it less. He'd raised an eyebrow, and looked suspicious.

"Well she's just a thief, right Slade. Just someone you found to steel for us. If I pay her more it shouldn't matter. I mean, it's not like she's someone special. Just another thief, right?" Slade nodded.

"Right." Crystal could feel the tension. As she'd suspected no one knew about her being Slade's daughter, but Lex was getting suspicious. She decided to take matters into her own hands.

"Fine Luthor, I'll get captured and feed you intel, but I expect a raise." Lex nodded smugly.

"Of course. Now, considering you have already robbed one company tonight, I suggest we wait, and put our plan into action tomorrow. The two of you can stay here for the time being. Mercy, please take them to their rooms." Slade and Crystal fallowed the android as she led them out of the room. She took them down a hall way until she stopped in front of two doors right next to each other. Both unmarked. She motioned to the door on the left.

"This is for you." She said to Slade. With a swift glance at Crystal he walked in and shut the door.

"Then I guess this one's mine. Tell Luthor I expect my money soon." Crystal entered the door on the right, and shut the door in the androids face.

The room was big, but empty. There was a bed in the center, a dresser, and a window.

"Apparently Luthor doesn't believe in seating." She muttered.

(…)(…)

(…)(…)

After Crystal and Slade left the room Lex stood up and pulled the shades to the windows behind him. Automatically 6 screens folded down from the ceiling. The screens turned on to reveal the six other members of the Light.

"Do you have the results of the DNA test yet?" Lex asked sitting back down. Vandal Savage nodded.

"Yes, and not only did we find a match we found something much more interesting." Savage smiled, making the scars on his face twist evilly.

"The DNA match was exact. Not only is Crystal Slade's daughter, but her DNA is an exact genetic copy. "Luthor raised an eyebrow.

"She's his clone?"


	4. Chapter 4

Chapter 4: Captured

The next morning Crystal woke up to someone shaking her shoulder. She turned to crystal immediately, and pulled a gun out from under her pillow, aiming at the person touching her. It was Luthor's assistant Mercy. Crystal put down the gun, and went back to normal.

"Oh, Mercy. What?"

"Mr. Luthor would like to see you and Slade in his office in an hour." Crystal glanced at the clock; 6:30.

"Fine, you can go now." She waited for Mercy to leave before getting up, and getting ready. She dressed in her usual mercenary gear. A black body suit, reinforced in areas, with pockets (hidden and not hidden) for guns, knives, throwing stars, and her favorite weapons, a pair of bladed sai strapped to her side. She grabbed her black mask that only covered her eyes and checked the mirror. What she saw was the usual, a dangerous girl about to make a score. If only for a moment, she wished that could change. Crystal sighed and walked out the door.

She made her way to Luthor's office. When she opened the door Slade was there already. Deep in conversation with Luthor. The pair stopped talking when Crystal entered the room. Slade crossed his arms, and leaned against the wall. While Luthor sat back down at his desk. Crystal knew they had been talking about her. So what had Luthor figured out?

"So, Crystal, today we will be staging the theft. At seven tonight, you will break into the Luthor Corp facility here, in Gotham, and you will allow yourself to be taken hostage. Make sure you make it look good. I don't want anyone to figure it out. Now, there is one more issue I have been reluctant to cover. The martian girl, she must not be allowed to enter your mind. I have some researchers working on a way to keep her out however, I am unsure if they will work," Crystal held up a hand.

"Chill Lex, telepaths don't work on me when I'm in crystal form. If they use an inhibitor collar, well, I'm not exactly weak minded. I already know I take days to crack. She won't be figuring out anything any time soon." Crystal glanced at Slade. He was remaining motionless. They both knew why she was hard to crack, but neither felt like volunteering the information.

Luthor noticed this glance, and though he said nothing, made a mental note to search for anything else unusual about this supposedly common thief.

"Good. Now you can do whatever you'd like for the next few hours, but I want you back here at six. Understand?" The way he said it reminded Crystal of Slade. She nodded curtly.

"Yeah. See you at six." Crystal and Slade left, when they were outside the office without saying a word Crystal fallowed Slade. He led her through countless rooms until they reached a back exit. He left the building and Crystal fallowed.

Since this was high class Gotham, instead of bars and motels the streets were full of hotels and fancy high end restaurants. Behind the building there was a fast food place and a road back to the highway. The fast food place was big with a giant neon sign. Slade walked into the restaurant, which seemed overwhelmingly stupid to Crystal since they were both dressed as criminals, but shockingly the restaurant was empty. It didn't open until nine. Slade broke the lock easily and walked inside. Finally he turned around and started talking.

"Don't trust Luthor. He had security cameras in our rooms, and I'm sure he was watching our every move." This didn't shock Crystal. She'd seen them too.

"What should I do? Go along with the plan?" She asked.

"You have to. The Light can't know who you are. They could try and use you to get to me, and as much as it would please me to have you out of my hair, you are useful." Crystal rolled her eyes. This counted as a compliment for Slade.

"Well aren't you just father of the year." She snapped. Slade ignored her, and continued talking.

"When you go on the mission, I'll bug you as well, I doubt Luthor would tell me everything. Don't do anything unnecessary or stupid. Understand?" Crystal nodded. When didn't she understand? She always did, and yet they kept asking her. Like she was a child being told off for spilling their milk. She was always going to be a child. Slade wasn't bugging her because he didn't trust Luthor, even if he didn't. He was doing it because he didn't trust her, and she was starting to get sick of it.

"Yeah."

"Good, now we're going to train until you have to go. Luthor has a training room we can use. Come on." Slade led the way out of the building, and headed back to Luthor Corp.

(…)(…)

(…)(…)

Later that evening at six exactly Crystal and Slade were back in Lex's office after hours of training.

"What's the plan?" Crystal asked. Luthor stood up and showed them a wall which turned into a TV screen. On the screen were the schematics of the Luthor Corp building Crystal would be breaking into.

"You will enter the building through the sewer system below. You will come up in a storage closet where you will then use the air vent on the left to access the archive room, which is on sub level 4." Luthor held out a flash drive. Crystal took the flash drive and examined it. It looked just like the one she'd been using.

"You will use this flash drive to access the files. Since you will have already disabled the security cameras, this will give us a view of the fight. Make it look good, but make sure you lose." Crystal nodded.

"Got it, now when am I going?" Luthor turned off the TV, which transformed back into a wall and sat back at his desk.

"You will take a motorcycle in half an hour; in the meantime, my team is going to set you up with everything you'll need." Two men walked in. One was tall, African American, with a scar over one eye, and an evil sneer, but he had a stupid look in his eyes. The other was wimpier. Tall, but lanky, with shaggy hair and pale clammy skin. His eyes were hallow, as if his soul had given up. Crystal shivered, what had happened to him here? He was obviously new, and obviously much smarter than the other. He was probably a tech guy, but why were his eyes so hollow? She would never know.

Crystal did a once over of both men, and figured that if she needed to, she could knock out Shaggy jr easy, and trick the beef stick into knocking himself out.

"Let's go miss." The beef stick said. Crystal almost laughed; he was so big he waddled as he walked toward her.

"Ok, let's go meat head." She headed out the door leaving the beef stick with an angry and confused glare on his face.

The two of them led into a large computer filled labratory. Shaggy jr spent the next half hour showing her all kinds of weird tech, while beef stick stood guard. Everything he showed her was complex and boring. When he started trying to explain the weapons they were offering her Crystal's head was ready to explode.

"Thanks for all this, but I'll stick with my usual weapons." She said exasperated. The wimpy kid nodded, and kind of shied away from her like he was afraid she was going to kill him or something. Crystal rolled her eyes and turned back to beef stick.

"All right, let's go. I'm ready to get this over with." He nodded, and led the way back to Luthor's office.

When they got back Luthor was on the phone with someone, he looked furious.

"I don't care what it takes, get me the results. I want to know how he did it, and who helped!" When he noticed Crystal and the beef stick he hung up and straightened his tie.

"Did Williams give you everything you needed?" Luthor asked. So that was Shaggy jr's name.

"Yeah, it was all so boring I think I feel asleep halfway through tracking devices though." Luthor cracked a smile.

"Well now that you're ready, you should know you'll be going alone. You'll be taking a motorcycle until you're about a mile away. When you're there, you'll go down into the sewers where you'll make your way to the building. You know what to do when you get there correct?" Crystal nodded. "Then you're ready to go. Slade and Wilfred will accompany you to the parking lot, where you'll find the motorcycle. You may go now." Crystal fallowed the beef stick to Slade's room. He knocked on the door and Slade appeared. He shut the door and fallowed them without a word. Halfway to the parking lot he handed her a small chip.

"Put it in your glove." He whispered. She shoved the chip under the black fingerless glove on her right hand.

"Put it in the flash drive when you get there. This way I can see what happens as well." Crystal nodded.

Eventually Wilfred stopped. They were in the garage. It was a 3 story building with a car in every parking spot. Right outside the door they entered through was a Harley motorcycle. A smile spread across Crystal's face, and she laughed gleefully.

"Holy shit! This thing is amazing!" She laughed and got on the bike. One look at Slade's solitary face, and she shut up, but the smile remained.

"Ok, ok, I'm going." Crystal put the helmet on and kicked the bike into gear. She drove off out of the parking lot and headed for the Luthor Corp building without another word.

A mile out Crystal stopped. There was a manhole cover right in front of her like Luthor had said. She parked the bike and got off. She popped off the manhole cover and jumped down.

"Ugh, smells like dead animal in here." Crystal wrinkled her nose and started walking in the direction of the building. Eventually she came to a ladder and smiled. She climbed up the ladder and found herself in a storage closet. She looked around and found the air vent immediately. The air vent was cramped and barely fit her, but she fallowed the mental map in her head of all the routes.

She'd been crawling for what seemed like forever before stopping when she came across the vent that led to the archive room. She pulled out a gun and put a silencer on it. It was only to put the security cameras on a loop, but she didn't want anyone to hear it. She shot all the cameras with perfect aim, and removed the air vent cover. She jumped down into the archive room.

"Almost like it's too easy." She smiled at the irony, and headed for the nearest computer. She pulled out the flash drive and placed Slade's device in it before plugging it into the computer. She pulled up the files on Slade and started to download them. When the files were 83% downloaded she started to worry. What if the Team didn't show up?

"Step away from the computer." A male voice said from behind her. Crystal grinned and turned around. Facing her were three heroes. Nightwing, Superboy, and Bumblebee.

"Why should I?" She asked, the smirk already forming on her face.

"Because you won't like the other option." Superboy replied.

"I don't know cutie, depends on what it is." She winked, and pulled out her sai. Superboy and Bumblebee ran and flew at her. She jumped out of the way of Superboy, and onto one of the computers. Bumblebee shrunk down and started shooting her. Crystal swatted at her, and when that didn't work, she pulled out a sonic gun and shot in Bumblebee's general direction. Bumblebee fell and was out like a light.

Crystal heard a growl coming from behind her, and back flipped quickly to avoid Superboy's rampage. Suddenly Nightwing came at her from behind with two titanium sticks. Crystal blocked blows with her sai, and whipped her leg at him with a round house kick, which he caught easily. He flipped her, and she landed hard on the ground groaning. She got up quickly before Superboy could knock her out. She hit him with her sai, and when that didn't work she tried punching him, only to have her hand hurt.

"Crap!" She shouted shaking her injured hand. She backed up and Superboy and Nightwing came at her again. Before either got to her she transformed in to Crystal. She punched Superboy again square in the face, throwing him back into a wall. She threw one of her sai at Nightwing, which he easily dodged. He leapt at her, fists at the ready. She blocked his blows and kicked his knee, causing him to buckle down. She punched him, and he fell. She didn't check if he was out on purpose. She still did need to be captured.

Crystal ran at Superboy and kicked him in the groin. He roared in pain, and fell to his knees in pain.

"Every guy has the same weak point cutie, even Kryptonians." She said smugly. Suddenly she heard something from behind, but before she could turn around Nightwing knocked her out with a swift blow to the head, causing her to crumple to the ground unconscious.

Superboy groaned as Nightwing helped him to his feet.

"That hurt." He said weakly. Nightwing grinned.

"Not surprising. Let's find Bee." Superboy found Bumblebee, while Nightwing cuffed Crystal. Superboy picked up Bumblebee and turned around.

"I got Bee, now let's go." Nightwing carried Crystal out, while Superboy carried Bumblebee. When they got outside the bio ship uncloaked and the ramp materialized. When the boys got inside the bio ship created a small cell-like area for Crystal and a bed for Bumblebee. Then Nightwing got in the pilots seat, and flew off toward the meeting place.

Since Crystal couldn't be allowed to see the temporary HQ, they were using one of Red Arrow's equipment stores in Star City. Nightwing carried Crystal inside, while Superboy took Bumblebee.

When they got inside eight heroes got up at once to see Slade's new sidekick. Red Arrow, Miss Martian, Arsenal, Bat Girl, Blue Beetle, Robin, Impulse, and Lagoon Boy all watched as Nightwing tied Crystal to a chair, and Superboy took Bumblebee to the next room to rest. When he came back Crystal had started to wake up. As Crystal came too she saw the eight heroes and decided to fake a groan.

"Great. Now I'm going to have to do the dishes for a month." Nightwing crossed his arms.

"Who are you?" He asked. Crystal rolled her eyes.

"Come on handsome, do I look like the kind of person that would just answer your questions?" She asked. "I mean seriously, how often does that actually work?" Nightwing's eyes narrowed.

"Miss Martian, you're going to have to go into her mind and find out for yourself." Miss. Martian's eyes wavered.

"I, I don't know. I don't think I should." Her voice quivered.

"Ok, martian that doesn't like using telepathy, mental note made." Crystal grinned. She was getting more out of them than they were out of her. The stone cold silence in the room, and the way each member stood a good foot and a half away from each other except Impulse and Blue Beetle, Robin and Batgirl, and Miss Martian and Lagoon Boy suggested that this team had more than one dirty secret.

Miss. Martians eyes turned green and Crystal felt her starting to pry. She immediately transformed into crystal and Miss Martian's eyes went back to normal.

"I can't get into her mind." She said with an annoyed tone.

"What? Why?" Nightwing asked.

"It's the crystal handsome; nothing gets in while I'm like this." She smirked once again. Crystal could tell she was getting on everyone's nerves. Nightwing walked over to the couch where a duffle bag lay unopened. He opened it and pulled out an inhibitor collar. He put it on Crystal and turned it on. Her skin returned to normal, and Crystal groaned. She knew the martian couldn't get into her mind, but they didn't know that.

"Try now." Nightwing ordered. Miss Martian's eyes turned green again. Crystal could feel her poking around in her mind, but the mental blocks she had in place were keeping her out. Miss Martian's eyes went back to normal once again.

"I still can't. She has some heavy mental blocks in place. The kind that could only come from having been probed before. I can't get into them unless I use a serious amount of force, and that could damage her mind, or depending on how difficult they are to get past, even break it." Miss Martian said. Crystal's stomach clenched. Not only could the martian get in, she could destroy Crystal's mind for good.

Nightwing looked at Crystal, who had an alarmed look on her otherwise emotionless face.

"Do it."


	5. Chapter 5

Chapter 5: Memories

Miss Martian stared at Nightwing in horror.

"Nightwing, this could destroy her." He folded his arms and glared at the two girls.

"I said do it M'Gann." With one last glance at the Teams leader Miss Martian's eyes glowed green and she entered Crystal's mind.

When M'Gann got inside she saw the walls again, the giant steel walls. They were the mental blocks M'Gann had to get past. Her eyes glowed green as she shot streams of white light at the walls. Her mental energy was doing nothing in the weak state she kept it at. The blocks were too strong. M'Gann knew that to get in, she'd need to use something much stronger. She shut her eyes and breathed in deeply. She thought of every negative experience she'd ever had. Every death she'd witnessed, every betrayal, every heart ache, and focused all that pain into one blast of psychic energy. The scream that came from Crystal rung out so loudly, M'Gann could hear it even inside the psychic plane. M'Gann continued the blast, ignoring the screams until finally the walls came crashing down, and the crystal girl's mind was revealed.

M'Gann stood in a long dark hall way with doors on either side. Different doors looked different. The first door looked old, and run down. The hinges seemed to be hanging by a thread. Doors closer to the end of the hallway were new, shined. As she made her way down the hallway she noticed plaques on each door with different things written on them. The first door had two numbers on it 1-6 in worn gold writing. The numbers were barely readable. They were most likely ages. M'Gann guessed behind the door was memories from ages 1 to 6. She noticed a name under the plaque as well, but it was so faded that she couldn't read it. She could only make out two capital letters, a K and a W.

Miss. Martian continued down the hallway until she reached the door labeled Lex Luthor. She was about to open it when Crystal herself appeared. The girl looked weak, timid. The destruction of her mental blocks had definitely done some damage, and M'Gann was surprised she could still appear here. Much less block the door M'Gann needed to get into. She was definitely stronger than M'Gann had given her credit for.

"Who are you?" M'Gann asked. "There are labels on these doors, things that you couldn't possibly have witnessed.

"My name is Crystal, and that is all any of you need to know. If you're smart, you'll get out of here now." Crystal may have been missing her weapons, but she could still fight. She turned to crystal, and crossed her arms.

"Crystal? It suits you. But I need to know what is behind that door. I need to know what Lex is planning, and I need you to help me." Crystal half smiled.

"You can't honestly believe I'm going to help you break into my mind and find out information I'm trying to keep a secret." M'Gann put her hand on Crystal's shoulder.

"I've seen some things on the labels of these doors, things that no child should have gone through. These doors have labels like Afghanistan, Iraq, The Shadows; you can't honestly tell me you aren't dying for someone to be able to help you with all this. And I can." M'Gann was sincere. She remembered joining the Team at the human age of 16; she was still scarred by some of the things she'd seem. But the things this girl had seen, she couldn't imagine how scarred she was.

"Crystal…. Let me help you." Crystal didn't budge. M'Gann wasn't wrong. She wanted to talk to someone about everything in this hallway, but she had been trained and brought up to not let anyone in. She wasn't going to ditch her training now when it'd gotten her so far.

"No." Crystal's voice was stern, unwavering. M'Gann sighed. She hadn't had any intention of hurting Crystal more than she needed too, but M'Gann hadn't gone all that way for nothing.

"I will ask you one more time, step aside." M'Gann was stern, her mind was clear. If she needed to get rid of this girl, she would. Crystal didn't move.

"Fine." M'Gann blasted her with the white hot rage she'd used to take down the walls. Crystal screamed as the light hit her. When the light receded, and the dust settled M'Gann gasped. Crystal's crystalline form was cracked, and she was bleeding from multiple different areas. Her eyes were shut, but she was still breathing. M'Gann knelt at her side, and checked her pulse, it was very faint.

"Miss Martian! M'Gann!" M'Gann could hear Nightwing calling her name from reality. The damage she'd done to Crystal here must have been showing in the real world, but M'Gann wasn't leaving without getting what she came for. She opened the door marked Lex Luthor, and witnessed all of Crystal's memories from the night before. Lex talked about making an army of super powered children, and he had used Slade's new sidekick Crystal to get intel on the Team by being captured. M'Gann stepped out of the room, and shut the door. She glanced down at Crystal's injured body, and at the other doors in the hallway. She could find out everything about this girl if she just took a peak in a few more doors.

"M'GANN!" Lagoon Boy's shout from reality made M'Gann come to her senses. She glanced at Crystal and remembered she'd done that. She covered her eyes with her hands.

"Not again…." She muttered softly, and stifled a cry. Her eyes glowed green and she was back in her own body standing next to Nightwing, with Crystal tied to the chair in front of them. Lagan shaking her shoulders and shouting her name. As M'Gann's eyes turned to normal Nightwing grabbed her shoulders, a fire burned in his features. What had she done?

"M'Gann! You almost killed her! You broke into her mental walls and were past that I know because she kept shouting get out! But then there was a flash of light and then this!" Nightwing shouted and pointed at Crystal. M'Gann gasped. In reality the injuries were much worse. Crystal had a black eye, and multiple cuts and bruises around her entire body. She was unconscious and barely breathing.

"What did you do?!" Nightwing shouted. M'Gann just stared at Crystal, her eyes full of tears.

"I- I didn't mean to…." She started to cry and Lagan hugged her tightly, quietly muttering "It's ok Angel Fish, everything's going to be ok."

After hearing Luthor's plan Nightwing made everyone leave. He was left alone in the small broken down apartment with a barely living criminal, and his own thoughts. He kneeled down in front of her and slowly shook her awake. Crystal's eyes fluttered open as he slowly came into focus. When he did, Crystal screamed and struggled against her bonds.

"Hey, hey calm down! I'm not here to hurt you!" He tried. Crystal breathed heavily, but calmed down after realizing he wasn't the martian.

"What do you want with me?" She asked, fury blazing in her eyes.

"Nothing, Miss Martian got everything I wanted. Now I just need to make sure you're ok." Crystal surveyed him. Then she did a quick check of her own injuries. She sighed in relief when she saw them.

"I'll be fine, I've had worse." Nightwing watched her sadly.

"What Miss M. did to you, that wasn't what was supposed to happen." He said, slightly distressed. Crystal glared at him with unforgiving eyes.

"No? Well it seems to happen often doesn't it? I heard about Manta's son. She broke his mind too. And she mentally destroyed a couple dozen kromotayans. I'm not surprised she did this to me. You should have seen her; she took me down with one shot. I may be the criminal here, Nightwing, but I think the real villains are on your side."


	6. Chapter 6

Chapter 6: Conversational Spies  


Crystal had been tied to the same chair for days. Only getting up to go to the bathroom, and to eat. Every 2 hours there was a guard shift, a new member of the team watched her. The current guard was none other than Gotham's new hero Robin 3.

"Hey kid, can you get me something to eat?" Crystal asked. Robin looked up, but didn't say a word.  
"Oh, that's right. No talking to the prisoner." The silence continued for 30 more minutes before Crystal got bored. She looked over the new boy wonder. He was 15 at best, and still he was wearing the red yellow and black Robin uniform.

"How long have you been doing this?" Crystal asked. He said nothing, as she'd expected.

"I started when I was Six. When did you?"

"Nine." Crystal nodded. "You're lucky you know, that this side got you. Whatever you've had to do, trust me, you got it good." Robin stared at Crystal as she looked around the small room. He wondered for a second what she meant before the door opened and Batman and Nightwing walked in.

"Robin, report." Batman commanded. Robin joined them by the door.

"She's done nothing, hasn't eaten or asked to go to the bathroom the entire two hours."

"Did you talk to her?"

"No." Robin lied, though neither hero suspected it, Crystal slightly raised an eyebrow.

"Robin, go to the HQ and report to Superboy." Robin nodded and left. Nightwing and Batman stood in front of Crystal.

"Ooh, I'm meeting the biggest muckity muck. I must have done something serious." She grinned, though both heroes could tell from her posture she was guarded, uneasy.

"Crystal, we have a proposition for you." Nightwing said, with a swift glance at Batman.

"What is it? Wanna hack my mind again, because I will kill you." She was still trying to repair the damage from the martian's last visit.

"No." Batman said. Crystal's smile faded slightly. Batman had that effect on most people, but he reminded her so much of Slade she couldn't help but get nervous.

"Look, the simple fact is that you're what 18?" Crystal narrowed her eyes.

"19." She snapped. She hated getting mistaken for being younger. The worst part of her job was no one respected a kid.

"Exactly, that's too young for Arkham, and no one wants to send you to Bell Reeve either, your skill set, and what M'Gann has told us about her trip in your mind has given you a second chance." Nightwing sounded unsure. Crystal's eyes narrowed, she didn't like where this was going.

"We have an opening, and we want to know if you'll join the Team." Crystal burst out laughing. They couldn't be serious. Batman's glare quickly silenced her, but she still thought the idea was ridiculous.

"I'm a criminal! Slade's apprentice! Do you even hear the words you're saying, or are they just gibberish?" Nightwing sighed.

"You honestly want me on your Team of HEROES?" Crystal asked. Nightwing leaned down right in front of her.

"Yes." He backed up and both he and the big Bat crossed their arms.

"This is a simple decision. Yes or no?" Batman asked. Crystal stared open mouthed at them. She thought of dozens of reasons why it was a bad idea, but she kept coming back to one thing, one pro she just couldn't let go. No more Slade. It was like a dream, almost too good to be true. She looked up at the heroes in front of her. Neither were relatively good men. They were both anti-heroes, darker than clean cut boys like Superman, but in that moment Crystal knew her decision. There was no alternative. She knew the past would come to haunt her, she knew she was putting them all at risk, she knew she was going to get herself killed, she knew it was the stupidest thing she could ever do, but she knew what she wanted. She knew the answer before she said it.

"Yes." Nightwing grinned.

"Welcome aboard then." Batman turned to Nightwing.

"I'm going back to the league, get her initiated." He glanced at Crystal once more before leaving.

Nightwing untied Crystal and helped her up. She was still in her criminal uniform.

"What first partner?" She asked.

"First, we introduce you to the others." He turned to leave, but Crystal stopped him.

"Nightwing, before we go, I need you to promise me something." His eyes narrowed.

"What?"

"I know they know who I am, but I don't want them to know what I did. What I was. I'll tell you, and Batman, but I need you to promise that no one I work with will know. If they find out they would never be able to trust me." Nightwing said nothing.

"Please." He sighed.

"It can't be that bad." Crystal's eyes grew dark.

"I've killed people. Stolen lives, tortured people. It isn't bad, it's horrific. And more than that it's true. No one finds out. Promise?" He nodded.

"Fine, but you tell me the whole story. Starting with a name. I know it's not Crystal, and self-respecting hero or villain has an alias. Yours is Crystal, mine is Nightwing. So what's your name?" Crystal smiled.

"In time. Names tell a lot about a person right? If I knew yours I bet I'd know way more about you than anyone needs to know, same in my case. Stories are one thing, names are another." She walked out of the room without another word, and Nightwing fallowed the smile on his face all but noticeable. They got into a big black van in the parking lot.

"Don't tell me this is what you drive around in in your civis." Crystal muttered slightly disgusted at the ugliness of the black SUV.

"No, normally it's a Lamborghini, but that's a little personal." Crystal's jaw dropped.

"Damn Nighty, who is your family?" She laughed, and Nightwing grinned. He drove the van out of the parking lot. Crystal flipped off the flap on the underside of her shoe. She pulled out a microchip and tossed it out the window. Nightwing glanced at her saying nothing.

"Lex's tracking device. Do you have a knife?" She asked.

"Why?" Nightwing was suddenly on guard. She was still an ex-con.

"Slade's trackers in my side." Nightwing pulled a knife out of the holster on his leg, and handed it to her. He was careful, and she was an ex-criminal. He didn't trust her just yet, and this would test how much he should trust her. Crystal took the knife and cut into her right side. Nightwing stopped the car, and watched. The cut was deep and would probably need stitches, but she didn't flinch. She reached inside and pulled out a small circular tracker covered in blood.

"Slade put it in while I was asleep. Probably thought I didn't notice. She tossed it out the window, and her side turned into Crystal. It was still bloody and cut, but the bleeding stopped almost automatically.

"Heals quicker this way." She handed Nightwing the knife back.

"Now let's go." Nightwing turned the car back on, and started driving once again. He thought about what he'd just seen. He decided he could trust her. She was a criminal trained by Slade. If she'd been Slade he would have taken Nightwing out with the knife. But instead she cut out Slade's tracker and gave him back the knife. He didn't car how long it would take the others to trust her, he did.

They continued to drive for an hour until finally they stopped in front of a warehouse in Bludhaven.

"When we get inside, be on guard, they're not exactly pro-newcomers." Crystal nodded and stepped out of the car. Nightwing noticed the cut wasn't healed, but was indeed smaller. How much power did this girl actually have?


	7. Chapter 7

Chapter 7: The Replacement

Crystal fallowed Nightwing closely as he walked to the warehouse. He opened the door to reveal a bought of superheroes. They all looked up as Crystal and Nightwing walked in. Crystal was immediately on guard just as Nightwing had suggested.

"What is this?" Superboy asked the mistrust obvious in his voice.

"I thought you'd know a human being when you saw one." Crystal mocked. Nightwing turned around and glared at her, she scoffed but shut up.

"Why is she here?" Batgirl asked. "Nightwing, she's Luthor's pawn, you can't bring her here! This is only base we've got left!" Crystal rolled her eyes.

"Typical, work for one criminal mastermind and suddenly you're a pawn!" Nightwing sighed.

"I brought her here because she's joining the Team." Everyone stood in stunned silence.

"Nightwing, she's Slade's apprentice! We can't trust her!" La'gaan argued.

"Batman agrees that we need her on this Team, and I think she's legit, but if anyone wants to argue with me and Batman go ahead." Nightwing's bat glare and threat about Batman shut them all up, though they still didn't trust her. M'Gann stood up.

"I trust her." Everyone stared at the martian. Every muscle in Crystal's body tensed.

"M'Gann…. You can't be sure." Superboy said.

"But I am, I've been inside her mind, and what's in there has convinced me. If Nightwing says she's for real, and Batman agrees then I believe them. That and the fact that she hasn't tried to kill us yet. If she was really Slade's slave don't you think she would have tried to kill us already?" M'Gann did trust Crystal, perhaps not completely, but more than the others. She'd seen what was inside her mind. M'Gann didn't believe Crystal could have seen so much evil all over and not have realized she was on the wrong side. Crystal, however, trusted M'Gann about as much as she trusted Luthor.

"Look, thanks, but I mean, you're not exactly my favorite person here." Crystal said. M'Gann's eyes flickered with regret, she took a step forward but Crystal instinctively took a step back. Nightwing cleared his throat, attempting to clear the awkwardness.

"Now, I may have a mission for some of you. First of all, Crystal, what's Luthor's master plan?" He asked.

"He didn't really tell me too much. My job was to get captured, get intel on this Team, and get out. Luthor did say he was planning on making his own Team though. Fight fire with fire." Nightwing's features grew dark. He crossed his arms, the frustration obvious in his defensive stance.

"Who did he plan on using?" Nightwing asked, anger sparking in his voice.

"I have no idea. I don't even know if he already found them." Nightwing nodded.

"All right, I'll inform the league. M'Gann can you get Crystal situated. I might have a mission for some of you tomorrow." Crystal tensed. What?

"Sure Nightwing." M'Gann nodded as everyone exited until the only ones left were M'Gann, Nightwing, and Crystal.

"Nightwing, you can't serious." Crystal said, her voice tensed with fear.

"Look, Crystal, no one here trusts you yet, and after what you did to Bee, Superboy and me. I trust you, and apparently so does M'Gann. So M'Gann it is." Nightwing started out the door, not continuing the conversation.

"So, do you have anywhere to stay?" M'Gann asked. Crystal took a deep breath and exhaled quickly.

"Uh, nope, well I mean I could always just like sleep here I guess…." M'Gann examined the dank warehouse that had quickly become a man cave for Superboy, while Crystal examined the martian. She didn't seem to want to hurt Crystal, but with telepathy you can never tell.

"No way, you can stay with me. I'm staying at my uncle J'onn's place. He's off world so you can stay with me if you like." Crystal just stared.

"Um M'Gann, you brain blasted me! You broke all the freaking mental blocks, you kicked my ass in psyche world! You also stole my memories, and saw a lot of shit you weren't supposed to. How the hell am I supposed to spend the rest of the day alone with you?! Much less live with you!" M'Gann sighed.

"I know, and I really am sorry. We didn't know who you were at that point, it was, necessary." M'Gann looked down, shame filling her eyes.

"Necessary? My God who are you people? Look, I've had to do a lot of bad things in my life, but I never broke into someone's mind. Never. I never nearly killed someone by breaking into their mind!" M'Gann made the same innocent stance Crystal had seen right before M'Gann had brain blasted her. Crystal backed up, staring at M'Gann with an intense fear. She looked around for anything that could be used as a weapon since hers were still MIA.

"I'm sorry." M'Gann said. Then her eyes glowed green. Crystal could feel M'Gann in her mind, and she screamed.

The two of them showed up in a small bright apartment. Crystal took a step back, she knew the martian had control in there.

"Seriously?! This is not helping your situation!" She shouted at the green eyed being.

"Crystal, we're not in your psyche, we're in mine. I saw some of your mind, which you're right is private and was wrong. Now you can see some of mine to make it fair." Crystal rolled her eyes.

"What kind of criminal do you think I am? The kind hell bent on revenge? Do to my captor what she did to me? Seriously? That is so stereotypical. I don't give a damn about whatever the hell is in here. I don't care! You can't just make right what you did by allowing ME to fix it. No. You have to do that." M'Gann just stared at her curiously. Crystal sighed.

"Look, I'll go live with you, I'll do whatever the hell is required of me, but I don't want you to expect me to be happy about it, or to forgive you."

"Fair enough. So first we go shopping. Nightwing made sure we all had some extra 'in case of emergency' cash if we ever need it. I'd say you showing up naked tomorrow is a pretty big emergency." Crystal nodded warily. She didn't want to spend the rest of the day with M'Gann, but what choice did she have?

"All right fine, where should we go?"

"There's a mall here in Bludhaven, let's go." M'Gann left the warehouse while Crystal fallowed warily.

(…)(…)

(…)(…)

Slade's fist collided with the table in a spectacular shower of wood chips. He roared with anger and threw the chair across the room, missing Luthor by mere inches.

"HOW COULD THIS HAPPEN?!" Slade roared. Luthor didn't flinch.

"I have told you I have no idea. My team tracked her tracker to the parking lot of an apartment complex. The tracker had been cut out of her body. They searched the building and found a room on the top floor with nothing inside. No food, nobody living there, just a chair and opened cuffs on the floor. I went back and searched myself Slade, she is gone, and we have no way of tracking her." Slade turned his back on Luthor and glared out the window. Luthor sighed and continued on.

"This leaves three possibilities. First, the Team of young heroes found the tracker and cut it out then moved her, second they killed her, or third she betrayed us and is now on their side." Slade roared in anger and pointed a gun at Luthor's head.

"NEVER! Never suggest such a thing again!" Luthor remained calm. He knew Slade wouldn't shoot if he wanted his money. The two stood at odds while minutes ticked by. Neither moved until finally Slade lowered the gun.

"Why does this seem like such an unimaginable situation Slade?" Luthor asked, mistrust underlined in his words.

"Is there perhaps something particular about this apprentice that the others did not possess?" Luthor took a step forward.

"What are you implying Luthor?" Slade snapped.

"I am implying that there is something different about this apprentice. I am implying the connection between you and her is deeper. Perhaps familial? But no, you never married, never had a serious relationship. Though I don't doubt a man like you has many lovers I am sure you were never so reckless as to produce a child. No, this is something else. Yet she is so much like you…. Is she perhaps, a clone?" Slade didn't move. The tension in the air was like a thick cloud of mist blocking out everything except the two men staring each other down.

"Yes. She is your clone isn't she? At least genetically. I wonder what you look like under that mask. I wonder if you two look alike. Like a father and daughter should? Or I wonder perhaps how she got her particularly special abilities?" Slade approached Luthor. The men were eye to eye, each one giving the other an intense glare.

"What are you saying Luthor?" Slade growled.

"I am saying that if you want no harm to come to that girl, than I suggest you do not step out of line. I'm appealing to your parental side Slade, or is that side nonexistant?" Luthor asked smugly. He removed himself from the stare down and started out the door.

"You should watch her back Slade, no one else is."

(…)(…)

(…)(…)

M'Gann pushed the key into the lock of her uncle's apartment. She pushed the door open and motioned for Crystal to fallow her in.

"Uh, little help please?" Crystal held over ten shopping bags in her arms. M'Gann had taken the 'emergency' opportunity to splurge on her own fashion choices as well. M'Gann nodded.

"Of course. Here, let me help." She grabbed a few of the bags and together the girls carried them in. They set the down on the tables by the door. Crystal examined the small apartment in awe.

"I know it's not much, but until the Team gets a new HQ its home."

"It's, um, nice." Crystal was honestly in awe at such a homey place, but she was still uncomfortable around M'Gann.

"Come on, I'll show you your room." Crystal grabbed the bags that were hers and fallowed M'Gann to a small hallway with three doors.

"The one at the end is the bathroom, the one on the left is mine, and the one on the right is yours." M'Gann opened the door to reveal a relatively small room with a single bed, an empty closet, a desk, and a chair. It was a simple room, yet it made Crystal feel more at home than anything else ever had. Crystal set the bags down on the floor tentatively.

"Thanks M'Gann." Crystal said curtly.

"You're welcome Crystal, make yourself at home. I'm going to start dinner." M'Gann left and shut the door behind her. Crystal took a deep breath and sat on the bed, her head was spinning with the weight of everything that had happened. Over the course of one day she had forever changed the course of her career and life. It was slightly overwhelming. The first thing she did was search the room. She may be a hero now, be she wasn't about to give up everything she'd learned. Like when Slade told her to search every room she is set to sleep in before she did.

"You never know what's booby trapped…" Crystal muttered to herself. "What the hell am I doing here?" She asked herself before sitting in the chair at the desk.

"I'm not a hero. What the hell am I doing here?" She leaned back, and thought about the many lessons Slade had drilled into her head. They were a criminal's lessons. Not a heroes. _But, _she thought, _I have to do this. Whatever it takes I have to help people. Do something different. Help not hurt. _That didn't mean she didn't have to be extreme when she needed too. She was probably the only member of the Team who was willing to do whatever it took, whatever that was.

After taking a much needed shower Crystal sorted through the bags of clothes they'd gotten at the store and finally settled on just wearing pajamas. She pulled on plaid cotton pants, and a purple muscle shirt, and did her best to put her hair in a bun, which resulted in a mess of brown hair that was sure to be tangled later. She sat at the desk and rubbed her feet against the carpeted floor. It felt good, normal. That was a new feeling.

"Crystal! Dinner's ready!" M'Gann called. Crystal walked into the main room where M'Gann had laid out a dinner of spaghetti with meat sauce and water. Crystal's eyes grew wide with wonder, she couldn't help it. She'd never seen so much food for herself.

"Is this, like, all for me?" She asked sitting down in front of a bowl full of pasta. M'Gann stared.

"Of course." She saw the seriousness in Crystal's eyes. She honestly hadn't suspected getting so much food. M'Gann watched as she tentatively rolled the pasta onto a fork and ate it. She then shoveled it all down like she hadn't eaten in months. M'Gann ate slowly, watching her.

"Crystal, can I ask you something?" M'Gann's eyes were full of concern.

"Maybe…."

"What happened to you?" Crystal couldn't help but smile.

"You're going to have to be a bit more specific."

"Well, let's start with why is it such a surprise to receive so much food?" Crystal almost laughed.

"M'Gann, you're so used to the luxury of living in a place like this, with all the food you need, you even have plants. You probably forget that there are people who don't have that. I was like that. But I'm still not going to tell you who I am. Besides, if people were meant to know who I was, it would have been much easier to break into my mind." M'Gann blushed at Crystal's obvious accusation.

"I am truly sorry about that." M'Gann tried.

"I know, but that doesn't change the fact that you did it."


End file.
